Hasbro has been forced to remove a Trolls World Tour doll from store shelves after an outcry from parents over the “inappropriate” placement of a button on the toy. The Trolls World Tour Giggle and Sing Poppy doll has separate buttons to make it laugh and sing, one on its belly to make it sing and one unfortunately placed between its legs to make it giggle. You can see the issue here, I’m sure.
- One mom brought the doll to everyone’s attention. In a video shared online, she said that after her daughter received the Trolls World Tour doll as a birthday gift, she thought it was just a normal toy, especially since the box only advertises the button on the doll’s belly. However, when showing her husband the doll, she noticed the other button “on her privates.” As she explains in the clip, “She makes, like, a gasping sound. And I know some of you might not think this is a big deal but…Â especially since I’ve had kids… this is wrong. It makes a gasping sound when you touch her privates, and to me it’s just like sexual sounds. It’s so disturbing.”
- It wasn’t long before a petition was started for its removal. Jessica McManis created the Change.org petition calling for the doll to be pulled from store shelves and banned. “Our society is conditioning our children to think pedophilia is ok. This Trolls World Tour doll named Poppy has a button on her private area under her skirt. When you push this button on the doll’s private she gasps and giggles. This is not okay for a child’s toy!” she wrote. “This toy needs to be removed from our stores. What will this toy make our innocent, impressionable children think? That it’s fun when someone touches your private area? That pedophilia and child molestation are ok? It’s not ok! It’s not fun! It’s damaging and has long term affects on a child’s mental/physical health!”
- The petition has since received more than 422,000 signatures. At the time of writing, the petition, which is directed towards retailers including Target, Amazon, Dollar General, Walmart, and other retailers where it’s sold, had more than 422,000 signatures and counting, showing just how many people are taking this seriously.
- Hasbro has heard the outcry and is pulling the toy. “This feature was designed to react when the doll was seated, but we recognize the placement of the sensor may be perceived as inappropriate,” said Hasbro spokesperson Julie Duffy in a statement to The Providence Journal. “This was not intentional and we are happy to provide consumers with a replacement Poppy doll of similar value through our consumer care team. We are in the process of removing the item for purchase.”
